Our Implementation Plan
Barnard: Bold, Strong, Together
- Brings students, staff, and faculty back to campus with their health and safety as our main priority.
- Pioneers a new first-year course and campus lecture series, “Big Problems: Making Sense of 2020,” that focuses on the historic challenges now confronting society, including the COVID-19 pandemic and our social, economic, political, and ecological upheavals.
- Adds many courses across the curriculum that focus on the current moment, asking students to use different disciplinary lenses to interrogate and learn from this time in history.
- Puts to work Barnard’s rigorous education for the social good, through the virtual co-curricular program ThirdSpace@.
- Gives students the living options and calendar flexibility to do their best work.
Principles
Barnard: Bold, Strong, Together is based on the following principles:
- Safe. The College will ensure that all members of the community who return to campus are as safe as possible, with proper testing and health evaluation, as well as contingency plans, such as quarantine spaces.
- Equitable. The College will work closely with all members of our community who require accommodations to return (in-person or virtually) in the Fall.
- Meaningful. Students will experience the best of Barnard through new academic programs, engaging student activities, and strong sense of community.
- Flexible. Programs and operations will respond nimbly to changing conditions.
- Robust. The return to campus will seek to reasonably return as many students as possible to campus, within the constraints posed by the other principles.
- Feasible. All steps of the return to campus plan will align with Columbia’s efforts where applicable and conform to regulatory requirements.
Plan Highlights
Innovation in Curriculum
Innovative and flexible in-person and remote course offerings that introduce:
- Immersive courses with formats that fit within a new three-semester calendar.
- Immersive seven-week courses that allow students to engage deeply with course material over a shorter range of time.
- A three-semester model offering students the opportunity to spread their courses over three semesters.
- A new component of the First-Year Experience: “Big Problems: Making Sense of 2020.”
- New courses throughout the curriculum that link to the “Big Problems” lecture series and address the major challenges of our time.
› Visit Academics & Classrooms for detailed information.
Flexible Calendar
A two-session Summer semester will follow the traditional Fall and Spring semesters to allow for more flexibility and expanded course offerings.
- The 2020-21 Academic Calendar offers three semesters and aligns, as always, with the Columbia calendar. Students can take classes over Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters.
- Any student who wishes to study remotely for all or any part of the year is welcome to do so.
- Each semester will be divided into two A and B terms, allowing students to choose from immersive and/or semester-long classes.
- Students can enroll in a host of immersive seven-week classes, in addition to semester-long classes. These intensive classes will allow students to reduce their class load while participating in a depth of engagement and learning in a shorter time period.
- International students who choose to study remotely will have the opportunity to be involved in academics and programming at the Columbia University Global Centers around the world.
› Visit Academics & Classrooms for detailed information.
› Visit the Registration website for detailed information on class registration.
Feel Well, Do Well: Campus and Community Safety Measures
Creating a culture in which everyone at Barnard understands how their individual decisions impact others and acts accordingly is paramount to the health and safety of the whole community. To prioritize health and wellness for the Barnard and Morningside Heights communities, measures center around:
- Hygiene and Cleaning. Community emphasis on washing hands frequently and thoroughly. Upgrades to fixtures, including touch-free devices, frequent cleaning of residence halls, restrooms, and campus spaces, and availability of sanitizing supplies.
- Distancing. All will be expected to maintain a minimum physical distance of at least 6 feet and be mindful of physical distancing in small spaces, including elevators, hallways, stairwells, and restrooms.
- Masks. Face coverings will be required in public areas on campus.
- Screening and Testing. The College will implement a screening, testing, and contact-tracing program for all members of our community.
- Community-Oriented Culture. Students, faculty, and staff are expected to acknowledge and adhere to a new community pledge that emphasizes that every member of the community must take responsibility in helping to maintain a safe environment.
› Visit Feel Well, Do Well: Health & Safety for detailed information.
Students on Campus
Our 2020-2021 Residential Living model emphasizes physical distancing, cleanliness, and an understanding of shared responsibility.
Students will be invited to live on campus in different stages throughout the year.
Students who reside off campus may come onto campus for their in-person classes and to participate in the on-campus experience.
For the Fall semester:
These students are invited to live on campus and must complete a new Fall Housing Form by July 20, 2020, to indicate whether or not they intend to live on campus:
- Incoming first-year students.
- Incoming eligible sophomores (Fall 2019 first-years who participated in the Spring 2020 lottery).
These students may apply to live on campus, though housing is not guaranteed:
- Incoming transfers entering as sophomores.
- Junior and senior Resident Assistants (RAs), Orientation Leaders, and students in other leadership roles.
- Students with extenuating circumstances (e.g., situations that make online learning nearly impossible, students who have academic work that is best conducted on campus in the Fall, and international students with time zone concerns).
First-years and sophomores will move out at the end of the Fall semester and study remotely for the Spring semester.
For the Spring semester:
These students will be invited to live on campus:
- Eligible juniors (Fall 2018 first-year students who participated in the Spring 2020 lottery).
- Eligible seniors (Fall 2017 first-year students who participated in the Spring 2020 lottery).
These students may apply to live on campus, though housing is not guaranteed:
- Incoming transfers entering as juniors.
- Students in leadership roles.
- Students with extenuating circumstances (e.g., situations that make online learning nearly impossible, students who have academic work that is best conducted on campus in the Spring, and international students with time zone concerns).
Note: Depending on capacity and public health measures, some first-years and sophomores may also be eligible for on-campus Spring housing.
Note: For 2020-2021 only, students not invited to live on campus who are financial aid recipients can apply to take their financial aid off campus for the Fall and Spring semesters if they plan to rent an apartment.
For the Summer semester:
- Students who register for summer courses can apply to live on campus.
- Room and board will be charged. Students who are financial aid recipients may be able to receive financial assistance for summer housing.